For some time, water sports enthusiasts have ridden on inner tubes towed by pleasure water craft. The inner tube has handgrips which permit the rider to grasp the tube and steer the tube while it is being towed. The tube bounces on the wake of the towing craft and on waves. When the tube is towed at higher speeds, the impact of the wave and wake bounces is great. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a device which could be ridden at high speeds and readily controllable by the user and comfortable to use.
An aquatic device for carrying a rider includes a buoyant mat having handles and towing attachment. The mat has a forward section which lifts off the water in an arch to form a tunnel for air passing through and under a rear section which curves downwardly and rearwardly to a peripheral edge adjacent the water. The rider lays on a top layer surface of the mat grasping the handles with his feet extending rearwardly over the top layer. The mat has a plurality of air chambers which are inflated with air to provide buoyancy. The channels of the forward section extend transversely to resist folding when being towed. A peripheral skirt portion rides on the water.